One Last Reminder
by Rachel Mantegna
Summary: Jack feels regret for what he did on the island. He thinks about this on the ship back home. But when Ralph approaches him, is he really changed? No slash. Rated T for swearing.


**A/N This is one of my few stories that didn't come from a random strike of inspiration. This one came from every story where Jack is changed after the island and gives Ralph Piggy's glasses. In this story, Jack has changed for the better after the island, but when Ralph asks him for Piggy's specs, he doesn't want to give them back.**

Written at about four in the morning, so I apologize if it sucks. Please review!

Jack was standing on the deck of the large ship that had found them. He stared down to his hands, where he held a pair of glasses, one of the lenses smashed.

He caught his reflection in the lens that was still in tact. No longer was he the hunter extraordinaire, the painted warrior, protector of the beast, the Chief. No, he was a twelve year-old boy who had become a man and lost his innocence. He had gone through things no one ever should. Seen things no one ever should. Done things no one ever should. He looked at his reflection again, seeing his bare face and clean hair. You could finally see his freckles and red hair again. He closed his eyes, not wanting to look at himself anymore. He was a monster. He was the beast.

He knew everything on that island could've been prevented if he wanted it to be. But he didn't. The beast had empowered him. He knew the beast was inside of him, and he took advantage of that. He scared the others using the idea of the beast. He let his inner beast take over him and twist him into something cruel and purely evil.

He had known what was happening to him on the island. He knew. And he still did it. Sure, when Simon was killed, it was a mistake. He really wasn't sure what the strange figure was when he saw it and his tribe attacked. But, when Piggy was killed, that was all on him. Sure, Roger had been the one to actually do it, but Jack was his leader. Jack had seen Roger eyeing the boulder long before pushing it. Jack was fully aware of what he was going to do before he did it. And he just let it happen. As Piggy was blinded, having no idea to what was happening, and Ralph yelled. Jack would never be able to wash away those memories from his mind.

Jack wasn't feeling so good, now. He didn't think they would ever be rescued from the island, so it was okay to abandon civilization and change into savages. But even if they were stranded on an island, even if they were never going to be rescued, why would he ever think doing what he did was okay? It would never be okay. No matter where they were, - in the city, on a stranded island - killing would never, ever be okay. Jack knew that, and he was afraid that if he temporarily forgot it once, he could do it again. This time at home. Maybe to someone he cared about next time, like his parents or baby sister. He was tearing up just thinking about it. How could he have been so far gone to have actually killed somebody? Take their life from this earth, painfully and brutally? Taking them away from their family, leaving them in such pain? All because of Jack. It was just all his fault.

Jack was ready to go back to his cabin. The one he was sharing with Roger, Maurice and Wilfred. Three of the other savages. He briefly wondered if they felt any guilt. Especially Roger, who had a lot of participation in the savagery, as well. He was Jack's second-in-command, his sidekick. He had tortured kids on the island into immense amounts of pain when Jack had snapped his fingers. Roger let the beast engulf him, just as Jack had done. Just like everyone on his tribe had. Excluding Simon, Piggy, and Ralph, - two of whom were dead - everyone on the whole fucking island had let themselves slip into the beast's trap. They had all become someone they weren't.

When Jack turned around to go back to his room, he found himself nose-to-nose with none other than Ralph.

Ralph had a hard look on his face, whereas Jack had a look of defeat and overwhelming guilt and sadness on his. It seemed like the tables had turned.

Ralph was now the same height as Jack. It seemed that he had grown while on the island. Jack was sure he used to be shorter.

Jack wanted to step back and put some distance between them, but his back was already pressed against the railing.

Finally, Ralph stepped backwards, and opened his mouth to speak. He then closed it into a straight line to choose the right words.

He eventually gave up on trying to pick the perfect thing to say, and just spoke.

"Give me the glasses."

Jack looked down to his hands, confused. Piggy's glasses were being held tightly in his strong grip.

"Why?" Jack asked, his voice rough. He was trying to keep himself together and trying to make sure Ralph still knew he was who he was on the island. He wasn't, at all. But Ralph and him had problems. Ralph would think he was faking being nice if he just gave his the glasses and said he was sorry. So what was the point of showing Ralph his true colours if he just wouldn't believe him?

"Because, I think, of all the boys left alive from the island, they rightfully belong to me," Ralph snarled. Jack could see something coming over Ralph he had never seen before. Throughout their entire time on the island, Ralph had treated Piggy badly. Very badly. But, in the end, Ralph had truly been his friend, and the fact that Jack owned the one last reminder of Piggy was bothering him to no end. He probably wanted the glasses to gain some sort of closure. But Jack was also seeking closure. And he figured, whenever he felt himself losing the inner battle to the beast, he could look at these glasses and remind himself what the consequences of his actions could be.

"Well, I have them, don't I, Ralph? So, I suppose they belong to me."

Ralph was not pleased with that answer. He stepped towards Jack in a menacing way, clenching his fists. Jack thought that if Ralph had showed this side of himself on the island, he would've had more followers.

"Give me the glasses, Merridew. I am not in the fucking mood for games," he held his hand out, waiting to feel the smooth surface of the metal. But it never came, because Jack wasn't giving up his lifeline. Ralph narrowed his eyes at Jack, seemingly waiting.

After a few minutes of this, Ralph made a move. His hand shot forward to grasp one end of the specs. Jack held on to the other end with a violent grip. Ralph held on just as tightly, pulling back hard. Jack wasn't giving up that easy. He twisted the metal, making Ralph change his hand position.

"Give them to me, Jack! You didn't even like him!" Ralph yelled. At that moment, the metal rim that once lay on the bridge of Piggy's nose snapped, forcing them to fall backwards. Ralph ended up holding one lens and the frame that framed the outside. He happened to get the lens that wasn't broken. Jack got that one. He thought that was kind of ironic, considering he was the one who had shattered their civilization - just like he had shattered Piggy's glasses - and Ralph had been the one who fought to keep them together.

Ralph's face looked just as shattered as the glass of Jack's half of the specs. Ralph started to cry, his face twisting into looks of sadness, anger, guilt and regret all at once. He eventually closed his eyes and shook his head, stopping the tears. He stood up and walked towards the railing. When both his hands were firmly gripping it, he let his head fall downwards in his final measure of devotion towards his late friend, Piggy.

Jack couldn't take it anymore. He stood up beside Ralph and handed his the other half of the glasses.

"Here," Jack offered.

"Forget it," Ralph's voice cracked, "They're worthless now," he tried to hand Jack the other half, but he refused them.

"Maybe, we should, just drop them, then? So Piggy could be with his glasses once again, and maybe we could get closure?" Jack suggested, letting the true personality of Jack Merridew to slip through the surface.

"That's probably the best idea you've ever had, Jack," Ralph praised, "On three?"

"Okay. One."

"Two."

"Three," they said together, dropping both halves of Piggy's glasses into the water.

They each took in a breath, feeling the slight relief wash over them. As much as it would've been nice to have kept the specs, they both knew they really didn't belong to either of them, and should've been in the water with Piggy. His body was somewhere in the ocean, and Jack had no doubt he would eventually find his way to his glasses.

"So," Jack started, turning his entire body towards Ralph, "Truce?"

"Yeah, okay. Truce," Ralph agreed after little hesitation.

The two young boys walked into the main area of the boat together, trying to act like normal twelve year-old boys. And they really weren't doing such a bad job of it.

**A/N Please review!**


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